Bulgaria is increasingly clearly heading towards early parliamentary elections, and three main issues are emerging around the political processes – Will President Rumen Radev enter the direct party battle, are there guarantees for a fair election vote and is an independent caretaker government possible that would protect the election process?
According to Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov - a media expert and lecturer at Sofia University, he has long positioned himself as a political player and it is not excluded that he is preparing for direct participation in party life.
According to him, a kind of "casting for the Bulgarian Orban" is currently underway, supported by global political winds and growing Euroscepticism, bTV reported.
"The question is not whether Radev will enter the political scene, but who will stand against him with clear European and democratic representation", Lozanov commented.
Political scientist Kaloyan Metodiev, who is former Chief of Staff to President Radev, said that before announcing any political project, the president must clearly declare the absence of dependencies, including participation in hierarchical and secret organizations - both in the past and in the present.
He drew a parallel with Italy in the 1980s and the scandal surrounding the P2 Masonic lodge, as well as with a new law in Great Britain obliging police officers to declare membership in such structures.
"The issue of dependencies is central. Without transparency, there is no trust", Metodiev emphasized.
Assoc. Prof. Lozanov described the possible dependence on the Kremlin as the most worrying and reminded that, in his opinion, President Radev has consistently questioned the country's Euro-Atlantic orientation.
"Bulgaria finally holds the euro in its hands - this is a clear sign of its European path. Attempts to revise it this time will be at the center of the next political battle,“ he said.
On the topic of the war in Ukraine and a possible change in the president's position, Lozanov was categorical that he had not seen any sign of such a rethinking so far.
"He wants Bulgaria to make a political gesture towards Putin from the very beginning of his presidency, he has been making statements in this direction. That is where he will move and if he wanted to change his views and geopolitical attitudes, he would have done it a long time ago,“ Lozanov also said.